Book Nook – Enemy Pie 2026

Enemy Pie

Written Derek Munson

Illustrated by Tara Calahan King

Here is a delightful book on how to turn “an enemy” into “a friend.” If any of your children or grandchildren have had to face being “the new kid on the block” or “welcoming a new kid on the block” you know well the challenges that someone might have to face. Sometimes out of insecurities and fear, children act out towards one another. Maybe being a bully or being bullied, whichever side of the fence your child is on, has potential to lead to misunderstandings and cause someone to think of another as “the enemy.” Such is the case when Jeremy Ross moved into the neighborhood.

This delightful story is told through the eyes of a young boy who sees Jeremy Ross as his enemy. It is easy for the reader to identify with the reasons our storyteller feels ridiculed and left out by Jeremy and starts his first ever, “Enemy List.” A conversation with his dad helps our storyteller feel heard, understood, and have a plan to “get rid of one’s enemies.” Dad is going to make “enemy pie.” What is the magic in such a pie? What are the ingredients that would be make it truly awful for an enemy? Our storyteller certainly has some interesting ideas that would be the delight of an elementary aged little boy or girl.

Of course, there is more to the success of this “enemy pie.” Dad assures our storyteller that for “enemy pie” to work, he must spend a day with his enemy. And even worse, be nice to him. Here our author and illustrator will charm the reader as the two boys spend the day together. There will be basketball and bike riding. There will be boomerangs and trampoline. There will be water balloons and more. And then the treehouse where our storyteller’s Enemy List is posted! How will that play out?

At the end of the day, our storyteller really doesn’t see Jeremy as “an enemy.” So, what will happen with the “enemy pie?” How will our storyteller prevent Jeremy from having something bad happening to him? What happens to all those things we wish for when we think we do not like someone? Is it possible for “my best enemy” to become “my best friend?”

This is a very clever story teaching us how to handle conflicts in relationships and making new friends. We can all learn new strategies from Enemy Pie. And for those that like to read in Spanish, check your library and find Enemy Pie in your language.